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Finnmark

The largest and least populated county of Norway welcomes you into its vast natural beauty. Finnmark, or Finnmárku in Sami, language is situated in the far northeast of the country bordering Finland and Russia while overlooking the Atlantic (Norwegian Sea) and the Arctic (Barents Sea) Oceans. Beautiful fjords, midnight sun and the northern lights (Aurora Borealis) are but a few reasons for wanting to visit this beautiful county.

Alta or Alattio, the city of the northern lights, has the largest population in the county. It also so happens to have a dry climate with frequent clear skies. It is sheltered deep inside the Alta fjord by the surrounding mountains. During the winter season, you can pay a visit to the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel which is just about 20 km away from Alta town centre and closer by you can try dog sledding. Each year, Alta hosts the longest sled dog race in Europe (finnmarkslopet) which attracts contestants from all across the world.

During WWII, the Germans used the scorched earth tactic in Finnmark to halt the Red Army. As a result, very few houses survived the war and even less people stayed behind. This is one of the main reasons why the towns in this county have more of a modern feel to them.